Bernardo Cremades Román

Practice Areas

Investor-State Arbitration; Domestic and International Arbitration; International Commercial Law; Public and Private International Law; Protection of Foreign Investment; Dispute Resolution; Corporate Law; Banking and Finance Law.

Career

Bernardo M. Cremades, Jr., admitted to practice law in Madrid, the State of New York and the District of Columbia, is a partner in the litigation and arbitration group of B. Cremades & Asociados. His practice focuses on investment treaty and international commercial arbitration under the auspices of various arbitral institutions and rules, including the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), and the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission (IACAC). Bernardo also participates in domestic commercial arbitrations under a wide range of arbitral rules.

Bernardo regularly represents or advises clients in litigation proceedings in various jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on Spanish, European and U.S. courts. Such litigation proceedings include some of the largest insolvency proceedings in the history of Spain. He has also acted or (co)authored written submissions before, inter alia, the Supreme Court of Spain, the Constitutional Court of Spain, the European Court of Justice, the Supreme Court of the United States of America, the Constitutional Court of Bolivia, the Supreme Court of Panama, the Supreme Court of Costa Rica, as well as before lower courts in these or other jurisdictions (in jurisdictions in which he is not qualified, the legal briefs were signed by a local lawyer). He has also provided legal expert testimony in U.S. courts, U.K. courts and investor-State arbitrations on diverse issues, including matters of Spanish law (both of a substantive and procedural nature).

Bernardo has extensive experience in corporate finance matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, structured finance and project finance transactions.

Previously, Bernardo worked as an associate in the New York office of the law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and in the Madrid office of the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. He also interned at the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

Bernardo holds a Law Degree and a Diploma in International Relations from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas and an LL.M. Degree from New York University School of Law. He also holds an Advanced Professional Certificate from the NYU Pollack Center for Law & Business.

Bernardo is author of several academic articles and frequently speaks at arbitration events.

Professional Memberships

Madrid Bar; New York State Bar; District of Columbia Bar; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of New York; International Bar Association; American Bar Association; New York State Bar Association; Spanish Arbitration Club; Spanish Arbitration Club’s Code on Best Practices in Arbitration; Construction Industry Arbitration Centre (CAIC) of Mexico (member of the Consultative Council); Lex Arbitri; Representative member, Real Madrid C.F. (2020-2024); Lexolent, Network Member.

Publications

(With Pedro Ureta) 70 años del arbitraje en España, EL CONFIDENCIAL, February 2023

Cataluña y la falta de seguridad a los inversores extranjeros, LA RAZÓN, 12 November 2019

Las nuevas tecnologías en los procedimientos, ¿un nuevo campo de batalla entre los abogados?, CONFILEGAL, November 25, 2017

(With Patrick T. Byrne) CFIUS Under Trump: Likely Increased Scrutiny of Foreign Investment, FINANCIER WORLDWIDE, June 2017

Aprobada la Reforma de la Estiba, ¿ahora qué?, EXPANSIÓN, May 19, 2017

Desinversión Hotelera e Inseguridad Jurídica, EXPANSIÓN, April 19, 2017

Trump y las Inversiones Españolas en Estados Unidos, ABC, February 9, 2017

Repatriation of Frozen Dividends of Foreign Companies in Venezuela, CORPORATE DISPUTES (Jan-Mar 2016)

(With Daragh M. Brehony) An Emerging Secondary Market for International Arbitral Awards, CORPORATE DISPUTES (Apr-Jun 2015)

La Repatriación de Dividendos Congelados desde Venezuela, ABC, March 12, 2015

Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards in Spain, Lexis Practice Note, December 2014 (updated February 2019)

Nuevas Perspectivas de la Protección de Inversiones en América Latina: Análisis de la Situación en Bolivia, VII(3) REVISTA DE ARBITRAJE COMERCIAL Y DE INVERSIONES 679 (2014)

Problemas Derivados de la Revelación de la Existencia de Financiación por Parte de Terceros en Arbitrajes Internacionales, LEXARBITRI.COM (September 2014)

Problems Triggered by Disclosure of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration, CORPORATE DISPUTES (Jul-Sep 2014)

Usury and Other Defenses in U.S. Litigation Finance, KAN. J.L. & PUB. POL’Y 151 (Winter 2013-2014); alternative version reprinted in 11(3) TRANSNAT’L DISP. MGMT. (June 2014)

The Use of Preliminary Objections in ICSID Annulment Proceedings, KLUWER ARBITRATION BLOG, September 4, 2013

(With Alejandro I. Cremades) Invertir en Arbitrajes en los Estados Unidos, in Carlos A. Soto Coaguila & Delia Revoredo Marsano de Mur (Eds.), ARBITRAJE INTERNACIONAL: PASADO, PRESENTE Y FUTURO; LIBRO HOMENAJE A BERNARDO CREMADES E YVES DERAINS 341 (Instituto Peruano de Arbitraje, 2013)

Implications of Usury in Third-Party Litigation Funding, A MODEL LITIGATION FINANCE CONTRACT BLOG, April 2013

¿Americanización de la Fase Escrita del Arbitraje Internacional?, VI(1) REVISTA DE ARBITRAJE COMERCIAL Y DE INVERSIONES 27 (2013)

Courts with Jurisdiction to Recognize and Enforce Foreign Arbitral Awards in Spain Under the 2011 Amendments of the Spanish Arbitration Law, 18 COLUM. J. EUR. L. F. 13 (2012), reprinted in 16 SPAIN ARB. REV. 5 (2013)

Third Party Litigation Funding: Investing in Arbitration, 8(4) TRANSNAT’L DISP. MGMT. (October 2011); reprinted in 13 SPAIN ARB. REV. 155 (2012)

Clients

Bernardo’s clients include sovereign States, State-owned enterprises, listed multinationals, SMEs, start-ups and individuals. He also regularly advises third-party funders in relation to their potential investments.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Spain, New York and the District of Columbia.

Languages Spoken

Spanish (native), English (bilingual) and German (competent).

Experience

Bernardo has participated as counsel for parties in numerous investor-State and commercial arbitration proceedings under various rules, including:

Investor-State arbitrations:

- Banreal Holding S.L. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, PCA Case No. 2023-32

- Comercializadora Mediterránea de Viviendas S.L. v. Kingdom of Morocco, ICSID Case No.

ARB/22/17

- Raimundo Santamarta Devis v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ad Hoc-UNCITRAL, PCA

Case No. 2020-56

- Inversiones Continental (Panamá), S.A. v. Republic of Honduras, ICSID Case No. ARB/18/40

- Blue Bank International & Trust (Barbados) Ltd. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID

Case No. ARB 12/20 (Annulment)

- Elsamex, S.A. v. Republic of Honduras, ICSID Case No. ARB/09/4

- ConocoPhillips Company et al. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/30

- Opic Karimun Corporation v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB/10/14

- Mobil Corporation et al. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/27

- CEMEX Caracas Investments B.V. and CEMEX Caracas II Investments B.V. v. Bolivarian

Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB/08/15

- Holcim Limited, Holderfin B.V. and Caricement B.V. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID

Case No. ARB/09/3

- Brandes Investment Partners, LP v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No.

ARB/08/3

Commercial arbitrations:

- Heirs and Successors-in-interest to the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah v. Malaysia, Ad Hoc

- Santos Futebol Clube v. Fútbol Club Barcelona, Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior, Neymar Da

Silva Santos Senior and Neymar Sport e Marketing S/S Ltda., FIFA Cases 15-01254/itr and

15-01255/itr

- CIMSA v. Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua, S.A.B. de C.V., CIAC Arbitration No. 50-180-T-

00867-11

- Dunor Energía S.A.P.I de C.V. v. Comisión Federal de Electricidad, LCIA Arbitration No.

204865

- ICC commercial arbitration between an Ecuadorian construction company and the Ministry

of Public Works of El Salvador

- ICC commercial arbitration between a Spanish gas company and a Qatari State-owned

company

- CIAM commercial arbitration between a Spanish law firm and two individuals

- CAM commercial arbitration between a Spanish law firm and a Saudi individual

- CAM commercial arbitration between a Spanish law firm and a Spanish individual

- CAM commercial arbitration between a Spanish company and a Brazilian football club

- Two CAC commercial arbitrations between an Austrian construction company and a Bolivian

State-owned company

- LCIA commercial arbitration between a joint venture of Spanish construction companies and

a Mexican State-owned company

- ICC commercial arbitration between a Spanish broker and a French aerospace company

- ICAM commercial arbitration between former shareholders and a professional limited

liability company

- ICC commercial arbitration between shareholders of a Spanish listed gaming company

- Ad hoc commercial arbitration to dissolve a family holding

- ICC commercial arbitration between a Panamanian electricity company and a Costa Rican

construction company

- Two CeCAP commercial arbitrations between a Panamanian electricity company and a Costa

Rican construction company

- Two ICC commercial arbitrations between a Salvadorian electricity company and a Danish

engineering company

- CIMA commercial arbitration between two listed Spanish electricity companies

- CAM commercial arbitration between a Spanish tech start-up company and a Spanish

investor

- ICC commercial arbitration between Spanish individuals and a U.S. law firm

- ICC Commercial arbitration between Asian State-owned oil company and a Latin American

State-owned oil company

In addition, Bernardo submitted an expert report in The Renco Group, Inc. v. Republic of Peru, ICSID Case No. UNCT/13/1.

Education

Awards